The battle for Baghouz, the group's last holdout and all that remained of the vast territory that it once ruled in Syria and Iraq, had dragged on for more than 10 weeks — far longer than either the U.S. military or their allies on the ground had predicted.

U.S.-backed Syrian fighters are battling the Islamic State group in eastern Syria 10 days after declaring victory over the extremists, an official with the Kurdish-led force said Tuesday.

Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said they are rooting out groups of militants who were hiding in caves in and near the village of Baghouz. He added that SDF experts are still removing mines and booby-traps in areas liberated in recent weeks...

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the U.S.-led coalition is still conducting airstrikes against ISIS. It says senior ISIS commanders and prisoners held by the extremists are believed to be in the caves on the east bank of the Euphrates River.

The Observatory, which closely monitors the Syrian war through contacts on the ground, says scores of ISIS fighters and commanders who refused to surrender are still in the area.

Worth noting is that it was US backed militants that declared the victory, and it's not inconceivable that they were being honest and this just amounts to some mopping up. Let's hope so. This group has had enough chances already.

Yes, let's hope it is just a mop up in Syria. It's hard, though, to mop up an idea or a movement, and Islamic State is not confined geographically nor nationally, and the internet serves all philosophies. Hearts and minds, folks, hearts and minds.

FYI, the last POTUS who actually served in the military at all was George W. Bush & the left tried to claim he was a draft dodger too. His Father, 41, was a known war hero and even he was blasted by the left. They claimed he caused the death of his plane's crew.
Clinton was a known draft dodger and Obama didn't serve either. Maybe we ought to keep politics out of this and support our fellow vets.

As a (3) 13 month tour Vietnam Vet from 1965-1969 PH recipient I take pride in telling you my Vet bro, You are the idiot. Obama the ISIS plant did all he could to destroy our Constitution and Country during his illegal term. (He is a Kenyan muslim traitor). And now the snowflakes are doing everything to obstruct a duly elected President from doing the patriotic job of Making America Great Again.
It is a shame we had hippie protestors who went unwillingly and actually made it back. Maybe they are the ones who shouldn't have. We need to get rid of all the waste in our country.

President , Has done so much , for my country , I believe he was send by God, , He has done so much for us veterans , and has build the military back up , . Calling him names , is not a answer , Do something for our country , if its just a road side clean up . Not tear it down ,

To believe that a conventional "war" could be won against hordes of fanatics and/or nuts is simply unrealistic. You eliminate one, two more will blow themselves sky high, taking innocent folks with them. In fact, I do believe that the future will bring even more fanatics fighting their whatever "wars". We're dealing with people without honor; simply said, we're dealing with cowards.

President is our President dosent matter if you goted for him or not. I didnt vote for the last president but in the end he became mine and yours president. Im sadden by the way dems. are actting. We can disagree thats what americans do but not try to destroe. We stand for freedom, tell me the facts of both sides and ill will decide on how i think.I dont need to be told how to think. GOD BLESS AMERICA

The misleading gist of the article does a great and grave dis-service to our nation, its armed forces and all Legionnaires. The article begins with the suggestion that we were all lied to and that the battle for Syria continues to rage. The Legion, of all sources of military information, should have known and much more explicitly and definitively acknowledged that following major conflicts "mop-up" operations are quite common occurrences. I expected this from Rachel Mad Cow, but not from the American Legion

Concur with the comment by Ed Potratz Chapman about the misleading title. Has our legion forgotten how many years we were still cleaning up things in Japan and Germany after they had surrendered? The activity of the Wolverines in Germany for 5 or more years after surrender? FYI - we are still in Japan and Germany. And the Korean Conflict is over. How're we doing there? I'm embarrassed for the Legion that our memory is so short and the willingness to take such a stance. We have reduced ourselves to clickbait.

I am ashamed of President Nixon. He tied our hands when we were fighting and and I believe the Vietnam War was the only war we tucked our collective tail between our legs and ran away. Thanks to President Nixon approximately 58,272 of our soldiers died for naught. I place President Nixon in the Hallowed Halls of Shame.

The gentleman is somewhat misinformed. It was President Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert Mcnamera , along with compliant members of the Chiefs of Staff, who denied us the opportunity to win the war and assure the freedom of South Vietnam.

I Am A 3rd Generation Veteran - My "Old Man" Was That Phrase - Every Day!!!
Our Brave Men/Women That Protect Us Every Day, Live That Phrase As Well - Every Day. When These Men/Women Return Home, Our Nation Can Ill Afford To Return To A Time When Feces Of All Kinds And Home Made Pipe Bombs Were Being Thrown At Them - In Uniform Or Not. Being Shot At Was/Is Not Unheard Of Either. Our Veterans Deserve Better - The Top Dog In The VA Needs To Wake The Hell Up!!!!

Mr. Kelley, your grasp of history is shaky! LBJ was the POTUS that escalated the Vietnam War and then restricted the bombing campaigns and micromanaged the ground war. Nixon came in after the issue was pretty much decided. Nixon ordered the Cambodia incursion, which killed thousands of NVA troops and captured many weapons caches. Nixon forced the ARVN to fight for their own country. Nixon re-started heavy bombing campaigns including operation Linebacker I & II, the latter of which brought the North Vietnamese back to the table. Furthermore, it was Congress, not POTUS that cut off all funding to S.Vietnam and banned further bombing etc. after the so-called peace treaty was signed. Also, let's not forget the North Vietnam violated the cease fire & re-invaded the South. LBJ and Congress screwed the pooch in Vietnam, not Nixon.

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News from the World of Military and Veterans Issues. Iraq and A-Stan in parenthesis reflects that the author is currently deployed to that theater.